Why you dont want to hunt elephant..?

[Sarg]

Have shot & been on several Elephant hunts & have seen the massive damage done by them, because we squeeze them into too small a habitat, but very much not enjoying seeing them die, seems overly, overly, I don’t know the words, emotional or very big deal, they are very smart & have empathy for others, same with killing poor old Giraffes & poor old harmless White Rhinos, terrible !

Oh & for me once on the ground I have a shit load of work to do !

If numbers were like the old days, I’d love to hunt a Black Rhino & would very much enjoy a Dart hunt on one to I think ?

On the Hyena hunting I normally hunt them like Leopards & have spend 100s of hours near baits, water sources or both.

I gave calling a go in Guinea Bissau & was near run over by the buggers in moments lol

 

[Pondoro]

In Kai Uwe Denker´s book

Vom Wesen der afrikanischen Wildnis​

..he tells about an elephant hunt in the very remote Kaudum area in north east Namibia.. They came upon a very old elephant that was dying when they took him. He had one 100 pound tusk. Kai took several 100 pounders in that area over the years..

 

[Kharn]

I want to hunt Elephant but...
My country won't let me keep anything from the animal.
Even an eye lash / hair strand could get you in serious trouble...
That's literally the sole reason why I won't hunt Elephant (or Rhino, Lion & Leopard).

EDIT: I agree with the OP in that Elephant is the 'Pinnacle of the Hunt'.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I’m considering hunting Elephant in the very near future. It’s not high on my list of priorities, but I’m certain I’ll hunt one.

 

[dchum]

It’s really low on my list, hard to justify 1 hunt vs 10 hunts maybe it can be my retirement hunt hopefully it’s still an option.

You can hunt elephant for less than you think

One elephant hunt in Zim is not equal to 10 pg hunts. Far less

 

[dchum]

So, flying to JNB, to stay in a lodge, just to shoot an elephant, has little appeal for me.

I’m confused by this statement. Why would that be the elephant hunt? Or how is that different that your hunts before?

 

[Flbt]

My ph and I had a looooooong conversation about such things.

He put forth the concept of a spectrum where animals of different types fall between "pets and food" for different people.
I thought it was brilliant.

My wife gives me a hard time because I want to hunt crocodile and she says "Are you going to eat it?!"

I ask her about cockroaches when she kills them. "Are you going to eat it?"

"That's different".
Right. Naturally

I think everyone has a different spectrum of appreciation for various critters. I have no desire to hunt bears because I have no interest in eating them. Same with cats. But moose, hippo, and caribou are on the list.

Elephant? I have no issues with people hunting them but it's not for me. Too much Disney Jungle Book cartoons as a kid I guess.

I have a friend that has pet spiders.
For me, there's not enough napalm in the world for 8 legs and teeth. Pure concentrated evil.

I see only one problem with eating a croc.
There a good chance it’s a man eater right?
I would guess they taste something like gator.
And gator is good.

 

[BJH65]

Initially, watching hunting videos of elephant being taken was unsettling to me. It did bother me. My favorite book an African hunting, “Hunter,” by J.A. Hunter, he wrote about guiding a hunter to a bull of a lifetime, a 100 pounder, and the experienced hunter declined to shoot him, he was just too majestic to kill.

I would possibly hunt another one. While I felt some sorrow, some remorse after killing one, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing to feel even though it is necessary for their conservation.

 

[Hornedfrogbbq]

I have been around a lot of elephants in Namibia and Mozambique. One bull in the Caprivi with his ears flared and trunk down was maybe 20 yards away. My PH said he was 60-65 a side. I was hunting buffalo at the time. It was exhilarating, and my rifle felt rather puny at the time as we waited to see if he turned or came. But I have never felt the desire to deliberately hunt one. That is no criticism of those who do. I have the same feeling about giraffe and several other animals.

100%. Ditto.

 

[Nevada Wapati]

A dozen years ago I was planning on having an elephant hunt in my near future. Then I took the family to the Hwange Park and watched them interact with each other. This caused me to change my mind and decided that I didn't want to hunt one. Yes I saw the over population and destruction they caused to the environment but still didn't want to hunt one.
Fast forward to 2025, I decided to complete the Big Five. In two months I'll be heading to the Greater Kruger to hunt a non-trophy, non-exportable bull. I'm wondering how I'm going to feel afterwards.

 

[TaylorM456]

I have not hunted elephant yet, but will this year. I can’t say whether I will hunt another one, but I doubt I will. Now buffalo cows get me more excited and adrenaline pumped than bulls do.

Why is this? I’m considering one on my next hunt. And would you bring one back as a trophy? Is it as challenging a hunt as a bull? Or more so? Thanks!

 

[roklok]

I have mixed feelings about elephants. Never had any desire to shoot one, and not sure I do to this day. However, I have an elephant hunt booked for this July. I witnessed firsthand the high numbers of elephant and the destruction caused by them in the Caprivi strip, and spoke with hunters about the absolute thrill of hunting them. I was offered a "own use" non-trophy buffalo and elephant combo hunt for a good price and booked it. I am very much looking forward to hunting them, but not sure I am looking forward to actually shooting one. Someone has to do it though, and I am going to strive to make a perfect shot and put it down with no suffering. Something about elephants and their emotional intelligence makes them different in my eyes, and I am sure it will also be an emotional experience for me if and when I shoot one. We will see afterwards if it is something I want to do again.

 

[baxterb]

I would hunt one and only one - but all of the criteria it would have to meet in order for me to pull the trigger means I never will. But that's OK.

 

[farmer_john]

I register on this and other hunting forums that some decline to hunt elephant..though they gladly hunt cape buffalo etc.

To me, ele hunting is the pinnacle..just curious to why some hunters won't hunt them..?

Why do some people drive toyotas and others swear by chevy?
Wiskey or rum?
Blondes or burnettes?

 

[wesheltonj]

I would love to have the ivory in my house, but I have no interest in actually shooting one. Seeing them in Chobe NP removed them from my list. Also my wife would most likely divorce me over it.

 

[mdwest]

I’m much the same…

I don’t disparage anyone that chooses to hunt elephant.. I firmly believe God gave man dominion over all animals… but it’s just not of interest to me..

They are a very special animal to my wife.. you’ll find elephant paintings and statues and other things scattered around our house.. she’s been fascinated by them literally since the day I met her (decades before we ever hunted in Africa)..

By the same token I also have no desire to hunt any of the legal species of whales. Again I dont disparage anyone that does (the legal species such as greys or fins).. its just not of interest..

But ill hunt buffalo every day of the week if given the opportunity.. blue wildebeest and buffalo are far and away my favorite African hunts..

 

[Field28]

I really have no interest in shooting a non exportable elephant, same goes for lion.

Bell, is probably my favorite African hunting writer and it's not something that I would be against, but it would have to be a proper hunt.

If I were to spend the money for a proper elephant hunt in Botswana, I'd prefer to spend ithat kind of money on another species in another country... Cameroon...Bongo

 

[BryceM]

Interesting question. I never expected to do it, but got a most unexpected, unique, almost inconceivable chance to do it as an add-on to a buffalo hunt...... I pondered it for a day or two, and then jumped at the chance.

A bunch of effort later, now the ivory and rest of it is here in the US. Then, the question becomes, do I want to do it again?

It's really not like other hunting. For so many reasons. The danger. The sheer enormity of the creature. Their social nature. Their lifespan. The scientist in me knows it's a completely rational, sound thing to do. Governments and conservationists think so too. I once told someone the distance between regular hunting and elephant hunting is larger than the difference between regular hunting and pottery. That's the only way I could try to describe it. It occupied my thoughts every day for months.

Yeah, I think I want to do it again. But, they're beautiful creatures with a soul to match. Apart from us, by some measures, they might be the most intelligent creatures on the planet. We owe it to them to manage them appropriately, and leaving them to overpopulate depleted habitat does them no favors. We who hunt them can try to do it right, even if our efforts don't accomplish enough. I was astonished at how carefully we went about doing it. My PH favored buffalo hunting, but also understood the actual need to also hunt elephants. He conceded that if we were to do it, we'd do it in a way that was proper for the animal. Governments do it badly, almost always. In Africa, populations of any animal that are managed properly seem to thrive.

It's enormously exciting. It's a little sad. If it isn't for you, I probably don't understand. For reasons I can't explain, non-exportable and tuskless cow hunts hold no draw for me. Maybe it's me trying to recreate something from a long-gone era.

If a hunter doesn't want to hunt them, that's fine with me. No explanation is needed. Maybe it's actually something encoded in our DNA or not.

 

[mdwest]

Interesting question. I never expected to do it, but got a most unexpected, unique, almost inconceivable chance to do it as an add-on to a buffalo hunt...... I pondered it for a day or two, and then jumped at the chance.

A bunch of effort later, now the ivory and rest of it is here in the US. Then, the question becomes, do I want to do it again?

It's really not like other hunting. For so many reasons. The danger. The sheer enormity of the creature. Their social nature. Their lifespan. The scientist in me knows it's a completely rational, sound thing to do. Governments and conservationists think so too. I once told someone the distance between regular hunting and elephant hunting is larger than the difference between regular hunting and pottery. That's the only way I could try to describe it. It occupied my thoughts every day for months.

Yeah, I think I want to do it again. But, they're beautiful creatures with a soul to match. Apart from us, by some measures, they might be the most intelligent creatures on the planet. We owe it to them to manage them appropriately, and leaving them to overpopulate depleted habitat does them no favors. We who hunt them can try to do it right, even if our efforts don't accomplish enough. I was astonished at how carefully we went about doing it. My PH favored buffalo hunting, but also understood the actual need to also hunt elephants. He conceded that if we were to do it, we'd do it in a way that was proper for the animal. Governments do it badly, almost always. In Africa, populations of any animal that are managed properly seem to thrive.

It's enormously exciting. It's a little sad. If it isn't for you, I probably don't understand. For reasons I can't explain, non-exportable and tuskless cow hunts hold no draw for me. Maybe it's me trying to recreate something from a long-gone era.

If a hunter doesn't want to hunt them, that's fine with me. No explanation is needed. Maybe it's actually something encoded in our DNA or not.

Excellent post. I enjoyed reading that.

 

[wildwilderness]

I had the opposite experience than a few mentioned here. I hadn’t cared to hunt Elephant until I ran into a herd while on a Buffalo hunt in the Save Zimbabwe.



The sheer size of them, the vocalizations, the sense of danger being around them was incredible. My rifle definitely felt small. I was able to go back to Zim with a 470 NE and successfully kill a Bull. Now that I’ve done it, would love to go again!


The main hang up is the cost- I definitely feel the Zim budget route is a great entry point on exportable Ele. But if I go again I would have to go for a more trophy route and that gets pricey quick!